UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State tied for No. 82 in the world in the recently released 2026 QS World University Rankings, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,501 institutions ranked by QS.
Penn State also placed, out of 192 ranked U.S. institutions, at No. 6 among Big Ten universities, No. 8 among U.S. public institutions, and No. 24 among all U.S. universities. Penn State is the top-ranked public university in Pennsylvania.
The QS rankings are considered one of the three most respected international university ranking systems, along with the rankings compiled by Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, according to Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Penn State Global.
“I am pleased to see our continued recognition in the world rankings, which reflects our strength in key areas that matter most to students and society," Klahr said. "Our enhanced performance in sustainability efforts, academic reputation and graduate employability demonstrates that we are continuing to advance exceptional work across our campuses. Our faculty, staff and students throughout the commonwealth continue to elevate Penn State's standing as a world-class institution. This recognition validates our commitment to delivering excellence in research, education and preparing graduates who make meaningful contributions in their careers and communities.”
Among the 10 indicators used by QS to compile the rankings, Penn State placed in the top 100 globally in sustainability, international research network, academic reputation and employer reputation. Other performance indicators that comprise the QS methodology include employment outcomes; citations per faculty; international student diversity, a new, unweighted indicator for 2026; faculty-student ratio; international faculty ratio; and international student ratio.
Penn State's efforts in sustainability tied it for No. 19 worldwide and No. 2 in the U.S. among those ranked by QS — as previously reported in the separately released QS Sustainability Rankings. Penn State’s sustainability efforts also were recognized by the recently released 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, where the University ranked No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 64 worldwide.
The strength of the University’s international research network placed Penn State at No. 31 in the world, and No. 6 in the U.S., among those ranked by QS. As examples of its international research network:
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Penn State remains strong in international collaborations involving research across disciplines, from developing the first non-silicon computer to understanding how the body protects itself from indoor air pollutants — and how perfumes and lotions disrupt that process — to investigating how to best shield the world’s most prolific pollinators: flies.
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The University’s One Health Microbiome Center received the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize from Applied Microbiology International for “groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology.”
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The University also is working with collaborators around the globe to investigate the possibilities of LionGlass, a glass developed at Penn State with 10 times the strength and half the carbon footprint of standard glass. The research team recently partnered with Italian glassmaker Bormioli Luigi, a company that specialized in producing high-end packaging for fragrances, cosmetics and tableware.
Penn State’s strong academic reputation, as measured by the annual QS Academic Reputation Survey, ranked No. 77 in the world and No. 22 in the U.S. Earlier this year, QS recognized Penn State's excellence in its 2025 World University Rankings by Subject — based partly on academic and employer reputation surveys, with 36 subject areas ranked in the top 100.
Penn State made its biggest move in the 2026 ranking in employer reputation, jumping 32 places to No. 89 in the world, while also placing No. 23 in the U.S. The University’s graduates gain employment in sectors across industry, government, education and nonprofit organizations, and are highly sought after by employers.
In total, 8,467 institutions from 106 locations were evaluated for inclusion in the 2026 edition of the ranking, with 1,501 universities ultimately making the ranked list. Read more about the QS methodology for the 2026 World University Rankings.
Penn State receives highest QS Stars rating at five stars
Penn State also participates in the QS Stars rating process, developed by QS to provide universities with an additional avenue to publicly highlight their strengths. Penn State is rated 5 stars overall, as well as for teaching, employability, research, facilities, inclusiveness, innovation and knowledge transfer, among other criteria. According to QS, the 5-star rating is awarded to those universities that display exceptional performance and quality standards and aims to offer potential students an innovative way to use their individual priorities to help narrow down their choice of schools via the QS system.